From the Principal 

Reminder: Queen's Birthday (Monday 14th June) NO SCHOOL!!

Dear Families,

Resilience: So great to have the students back on site and getting stuck into their learning. I have been so impressed with how they have continued to adapt to the ever changing circumstances of COVID19. I sincerely hope this assists this generation in building resilience and their ability to adapt to whatever is in front of them. Keep up the great work supporting your children, parents! Well done!

Parent Teacher Meetings: We have these pencilled in for the last week of term but as I write this, the restrictions will NOT allow us to meet face to face. Hopefully restrictions lift on Thursday and we will be able to proceed to with face to face meetings. If this is the case, we will book in times via Sentral as we have in the past. I really want to encourage you to talk with the teacher and build on the partnerships we have in place. 

Should the restriction stay in place and we can’t meet face to face, we will try to coordinate MS teams meetings or a phone call. Stay tuned and be ready to book in if/when we can open up the site, most likely next week. In preparation for an online meeting can you please download or update MS Teams and we will send home your child’s login and password soon. More details to come when we can confirm this process.

Reports: Staff have been busy collecting and analysing data and student work samples to make an informed decision for this semester’s reporting period. Staff moderated various writing samples across the school on Monday night to determine examples that are at, below and above expected levels from Prep to Year 6 – and beyond. We have some very talented writers in our school by the way! Thanks to the staff for their work on this task and the time that goes into report writing. I hope families gain a true sense of their child from the teacher’s reports.

SENTRAL: Reminder that the curriculum trackers (“I Can” statements) that staff assess progress against will be open for families to view in the final week of the term and will remain open until the end of week 1 in term 3. Then it’s back into teaching time! This is a great way to see where your child may have a few gaps or is extending themselves in some of the curriculum areas. 

Cyber issues: As a parent and a school leader, I am extremely conscious of the inappropriate use of technology. When your child is at school, they can only access the DET network which blocks social media platforms and the like. If your child has a SIM card and data plan I urge you to take it out of the iPad if they are bringing it to school.

I also urge and encourage all families to be vigilant of their child’s online life too. We see the fall out at school sometimes when inappropriate message, images etc are sent out of school hours. It has an impact on their social connections at school and can result in some very awkward conversations. Robbie Noggler will be revisiting Ocean Grove PS next term to deliver a strong message to some year levels. Please continue to have productive conversations with your children about their online interactions and their responsibilities (and potential consequences).

Tutor Learning Initiative: There will be several families that will receive written confirmation of Tutor Support for their child/ren in the coming weeks. We are very fortunate to be able to offer this extra support to our students. This learning support may consist of reading, writing and/or numeracy assistance. Please feel free to contact your child/ren’s teacher, tutor or Kristy Hannan-Cuthbertson if you have any queries regarding tutor support.

Lost Property: We have so much lost property! Please make sure your child’s name is on their jumpers etc! If they have misplaced an item, ask them to check the lost property area just in the Foundation and Art room corridor.

Excursions & Incursions: Under current restrictions we are unable to have incursions or excursions but this may change tomorrow! When the updated Operations Guide is published, we will review it and adjust accordingly. Thanks for your patience.

Jarrahlinga Wildlife Sanctuary: This week I had twins Sadie and Wynne visit me to inform me of the potential closure of a local wildlife sanctuary. Please look further into the newsletter for more information from Sadie and Wynne. These two are clearly passionate about saving this facility and are seeking your support!

Cynthia Todd: We wish Cynthia Todd all the very best as she commences her maternity leave this week. Cynthia currently works in the Year 3 area and has been a highly respected and valued member of the team. 

Good luck Cynthia and enjoy your last day (until you return) today.

We can’t wait to meet your new baby!

Have a great week everyone,